Animal-trap



(Nomodl') 11. E. KELLEY ANIMAL TRAP.

No. 411,246. Patented sept. 17, 1889.

WITNESSES: INVENTOH 2f f y? ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY EUGENE KELLEY, OF NIAGARA FALLS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ONEIDA COMMUNITY,(LIMITEDQ OF COMMUNITY, NEV YORK.

ANIMAL-TRAP..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent o. 411,246, dated September1*?, 1889.

' Application filed January ll., 1889. Serial No. 296,082- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY EUGENE ISEL LEY, of Niagara Falls, in thecounty of Niagara, in the State of New York, have invented 5 new anduseful Improvements in Animal- Traps, of which the following, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to the class of ani- I mal-traps havingspring-actuated jaws pivoted to a base-plate and closing over a baitpan.

My invention consists in forming the said jaws from blanks of sheetmetal bent into bow shape and crimped transversely to present broadgripping-faces, as hereinafter more fully described, and specificallyset forth in t-he claim.

The invention is fully illustrated in the anzo nexed drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a side view of an animal-trap embodying my improvements.Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on line oc, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of the inner sides of the ends of the jaws to which thespring is connected. Fig. et is a transverse section of a jawre-enforced by a longitudinal central rib, and Fig. 5 is a plan view ofa blank from which the jaw is formed. 3o B represents the base-plate ofthe trap, and D D are the posts, which rise from the said base-plate andhave hinged to them the jaws Idenotes the spring, of the usual form,con- 3 5 sisting of a steel plate bent so as to have one end over theother and having its lower` end hung on one of the posts D and theopposite end embracing the end portions of thel jaws, which are hingedto said post.

4o P represents the baitpan, which may be hinged in any suitable andwell-known manmer to a post d, secured to an arm B', which extendslaterally from the base B. On another post d', formed on the free end ofthe arm B', is pivoted alatch Z, which is placed across the top of oneof the jaws C and interlocked with the baitpan P when the trap is set,in the usual and well-known manner, as indicated. by dotted lines inFig. l of the draws 5o ings.

The jaws C C have hitherto been either forged out of wrought metal orformed by casting molten metal in molds of the requisite shape. Thedefects of these modes of construction are that the first is tooexpensive, 5 5 and the second is liable to produce jaws with flaws inthe metal, and these are therefore unreliable. To overcome thesedefects, I form the jaws C C of sheet metal, preferably of sheetsteel,by cutting from the sheet blanks 6o of the requisite size and shape,similar to that illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Said blank I bendinto the requisite bow shape, and in order to re-enforce the same I makethe blank of sufficient width to allow me to crimp or bend ittransversely on the dotted lines 0 o and o o thereby forming the flangesc c along the inner edge of the main portion of the jaw and on bothedges of the straight portion C', which passes through t-he 7o usual eyee of the spring I. By providing the outer edge of the blank with a notchfn at the junction of the portions forming the straight end portion Cand main portion of the jaw and crimping only t-he outer edge of theportion C a stop f is formed for arresting the movement of the spring Iwhen the same has closed the jaws. The aforesaid crimping is made insuch a direction as to cause the jaws to present broad gripping- 8ofaces, and thus obviate the danger of completely severing the limb fromthe animal caught in the trap. Said jaws may be further strengthened bysubjecting the blank to the pressure of suitable dies, which form alongitudinal rib 7L. in the center of the width of the jaw, asillustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

In order to further reduce the cost of manufacture, I pivot the two jawsto the post D by 9o one and the same rivet, which may be of sufficientlength to allow it to be bent into the shape of a clcvis or staple andhave its two ends passing through the perforations in the ends of thejaws and through two perfora 95 tions in the post and clinched on thelatter, as represented at r in Fig. l ot' the drawings; or the ends ofthe jaws may be bent so as to bring them respectively on opposite sidesof the post, andthe straight rivet passes through roo the perforationsof the jaws and through a single perforation in the post, as shown at rin Fig. l of the drawings.

What I claim as my invention is- 5 As an improved article ofmanufacture, the trap-jaws C C, formed of blanks of sheet metal bentinto bow shape and crimped transversely to present broad gripping-faces,substantially as set forth and shown.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed I o my name, in the presence0f two Witnesses, at Niagara Fails, in the county of Niagara, in theState of New York, this 19th day of December, 1888.

HARRY EUGENE KELLEY. [L. S]

Witnesses:

HENRY DURK, MYRON HARRISON KINsLY.

